The Schmooze lies at the intersection of high and low culture. Here, the latest developments and trends in Jewish art, books, dance, film, music, media, television and theater are all assimilated into one handy pop culture blog.
The Schmooze
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Beyond Poetry: Ammiel Alcalay
Contemporary avant-garde poets have done a great deal to question and redefine the concept of good poetry; new styles, approaches and whole movements emerge constantly. It does not happen often, however, that the notion of a “book of poetry” gets challenged. Ammiel Alcalay’s “‘neither wit nor gold’ (from then),” published this year by Ugly Duckling…
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Books A Picture Perfect Day
Earlier this week, June Hersh wrote about her Jewish culinary journey and unraveling the mystery of Jewish food. Her posts are being featured this week on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series. For more information on the series, please visit: I am not Martha Stewart,…
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Books Journey to the Land of Words
Crossposted from Haaretz Until a year ago, Ruvik Rosenthal was sure he had no imagination. Around age 10, he did start writing adventure stories, but at 12, “I had decided to become a journalist, to go for the real things.” After years of writing specialized dictionaries, such as a comprehensive dictionary of slang and a…
The Latest
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Israeli Man Is Seven Months Pregnant
Mazel tov — it’s a boy! Not the baby, but the person giving birth. That’s right. If the news broken by Yediot Ahronot is correct, a man is to have a baby. Apparently, a 24-year-old Israeli who had a female-to-male sex change operation went to a hospital on Sunday and told doctors that he’s pregnant….
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Out and About: Books Aren’t Dying; Call Sarah Silverman ‘Jew’
Spencer Tunick may not be able to photograph 1,000 nude Israelis at the Dead Sea. Josh Lambert reviews the robust state of Jewish publishing. For those in my hometown, the University of Manitoba will be offering a course on Zoharic Aramaic. Sarah Silverman and Seth Rogan are both Jews, apparently. Jenna Weissman Joselit explains the…
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Berlin’s First Jewish Museum Pieced Back Together
The entrance to the first Berlin Jewish Museum. Image courtesy of Centrum Judaicum. As valuable as art can be, Karl Schwarz knew that life is much more precious. That is why he fled with his family to Tel Aviv from Berlin only months after opening the first Jewish museum in that city in January, 1933….
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On 9/11, ‘Oklahoma!’ and a New Program for Jewish Culture
Crossposted From Under the Fig Tree Like so many Americans, I was not quite sure how to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Listening to Barber’s Adagio for Strings was one option; attending to the Times’ commemorative edition was another and watching television coverage of the day’s events was a third. But none of these…
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Books Unraveling the Mystery of Jewish Food
June Hersh is the author of “The Kosher Carnivore: The Ultimate Meat and Poultry Book,” available this week. Her posts are being featured this week on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series. For more information on the series, please visit: As a food writer you…
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How To Become a Collector
Crossposted from Haaretz Glass objects, old watches, antique furniture, ivory sculptures, tin cans, Judaica items, inkwells, fountain pens, etrog boxes and walking sticks are just some of the arcana to be found in the home of artist and collector Emanuel Kipnis. Unlike most collectors, who usually focus on one area or one type of object,…
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Video: The Rosh Hashanah Rock Anthem
Remember that peculiar Kia commercial with hamsters dancing to LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem”? Not exactly an instant classic — but the Shmooze does appreciate Aish.com’s new Rosh Hashanah-themed remake of that song. With lines like “Three times a day I’m shucklin’ shucklin’, shucklin,” and “Stand up, sit down, pass the prayer books around,” the tongue-in-cheek…
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The Complete Meta-Guide to 21st-Century Love
Photo by Joan Marcus There’s a moment late in Itamar Moses’ new play “Completeness,” running until September 25 at Playwrights Horizons, when the shifting scenery stops shifting. Lights blink. Eventually two of the actors appear, talking about how since their characters don’t reappear they have come out to keep the audience engaged. Now, you don’t…
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